Shows / Walking With Dante
Walking With Dante
Ever wanted to read Dante's Divine Comedy? Come along with us! We're not lost in the scholarly weeds. (Mostly.) We're strolling through the greatest work (to date) of Western literature. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I take on this masterpiece passage by passage. I'll give you my rough English translation, show you some of the interpretive knots in the lines, let you in on the 700 years of commentary, and connect Dante's work to our modern world. The pilgrim comes awake in a dark wood, then…
Episodes
- Walking With Dante
Of Flocks, Pilgrims, And Living In The “What Is": PURGATORIO, Canto III, Lines 79 - 102
Dante and Virgil have come across a group of souls who are hanging back against the cliff's steep rise. They're like shepherd-less sheep--which may indeed be…
- Walking With Dante
Virgil, The Flattering, Witty Sage: PURGATORIO, Canto III, Lines 67 - 78
In this episode from Purgatorio, Canto III, we might not see Virgil in his best light. He appears to frighten some souls on the bottom ledge. Then he overplays…
- Walking With Dante
The Chaos Of Virgil, The Pilgrim Dante, Reason, And Revelation: PURGATORIO, Canto III, Lines 46 - 66
Virgil loses the way. Dante finds it. Virgil tries to figure it out. Dante uses the language of revelation. All to make sure Virgil can be the guide again…
- Walking With Dante
Virgil's Bitter Distress: Purgatorio, Canto III, Lines 22 - 45
Dante the pilgrim has been shocked by his shadow, the only one against the rock. Is he alone? No, Virgil's there, still his comfort.Or is he? Virgil sets into…
- Walking With Dante
Your Body, Your Alienation: Purgatorio, Canto III, Lines 10 - 21
Virgil has scurried off, apparently ashamed or somehow guilty (the damned can be guilty?) because of Cato's reprimand.Now it's Dante's turn. As Virgil slows…
- Walking With Dante
Virgil, The Failure . . . Maybe: PURGATORIO, Canto III, Lines 1 - 9
Cato has given his stern reprimand and everyone has scattered for Mount Purgatory. Even Virgil. He's on the run, ashamed.But why should Virgil be ashamed?…
- Walking With Dante
The Initial Climb: PURGATORIO, Cantos 3 - 4
We've encountered Cato (twice!), seen souls arrive in an angel's boat, and heard Casella sing, all before everyone scatters toward Mount Purgatory.What's next?…
- Walking With Dante
Part Two Of "What Is Purgatory?"
In this interpolated episode of the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE, let's look at some Biblical passages that may pertain to Purgatory. Medieval theologians used…
- Walking With Dante
Comparing PURGATORIO I & II With Each Other And With INFERNO I & II
This interpolated episode of WALKING WITH DANTE takes on a structural analysis of the first two cantos of PURGATORIO--as well as our first vertical reading of…
- Walking With Dante
Cato's Back--Clearly Mad But A Bit Baffling As Well: PURGATORIO, Canto II, Lines 118 - 133
The souls off the angel's boat, Dante, and Virgil have all been enjoying a nice song on the shores of Purgatory. It's so refreshing, so pastoral . . . until…
- Walking With Dante
Refusing Love And Being Human: PURGATORIO, Canto II, Lines 106 - 117
Dante has heard Casella's weird story about hanging around back in the land of the living for three months--and not even being able to cross to Purgatory…
- Walking With Dante
Casella, We Love You But Hardly Know You: PURGATORIO, Canto II, Lines 88 - 105
We've come to the heart of the second story sequence in PURGATORIO, Canto II. Here, Dante tries to hug one of the souls off the angels boat and discovers an…
- Walking With Dante
Spooky Hugs: PURGATORIO, Canto II, Lines 76 - 87
Dante has certainly been able to interact with all sorts of souls in INFERNO. But now things seem to be changing. He meets a soul on the shore of Purgatory…
- Walking With Dante
Of Pilgrims, Pilgrimages, And Wonder: PURGATORIO, Canto II, Lines 52 - 75
We begin the second sequence in PURGATORIO, Canto II, with the souls who've been summarily dumped out of the boat onto the shores of the mountain-island. Where…
- Walking With Dante
Two Ways Of Being Dead: PURGATORIO, Canto II, Lines 43 -51
We've come to the end of the angel sequence in PURGATORIO, Canto II. The souls arrive on the shores of Purgatory singing a psalm that is unique in the medieval…
- Walking With Dante
The First Angel Arrives In Purgatory With Lots Of Questions In Tow: PURGATORIO, Canto II, Lines 25 - 42
We knew a bright light was approaching fast--but now we find our that it's our first angel in Purgatory, standing at the helm of a ship, following the path…
- Walking With Dante
Being All Red Just When You're Supposed To Be All White: PURGATORIO, Canto II, Lines 13 - 24
The pilgrim Dante and his guide, Virgil, may not know where to go next, but their answer may be arriving more quickly than they could imagine. Something…
- Walking With Dante
Sunrise With Nowhere To Go: PURGATORIO, Canto II, Lines 1 - 12
The sun's coming up. The sky is turning orange. And night is dropping the scales of Libra. Could it get better? Well, yes, the pilgrim Dante and his guide…
- Walking With Dante
Part One Of "What Is Purgatory?"
At the end of PURGATORIO, Canto I, l'd like to stop and start a larger discussion of what Purgatory is. It may surprise you to learn that it's fairly new…
- Walking With Dante
Lost And Found In Purgatory: PURGATORIO, Canto I, Lines 112 - 136
We come to the end of PURGATORIO, Canto I. Cato has disappeared. Virgil and Dante wander around (despite being told exactly what to do). And Dante the pilgrim…
- Walking With Dante
Just Tell Your Story And Stay Pliant: PURGATORIO, Canto I, Lines 85 - 111
Virgil has replied to Cato--and now it's Cato's turn to answer back. This time, Cato doesn't seem so threatening. He seems more willing to help Virgil and…
- Walking With Dante
Cato, Marcia, And The Problems They Cause: PURGATORIO, Canto I, Lines 49 - 84 (Part Two)
Our second episode on this tough passage. Here, we focus on Cato and Marcia, two big problems in the text. Why and how is Cato redeemed? Or is he? And how does…
- Walking With Dante
Virgil Out Of His Depths--Or Maybe Out Of Dante's: PURGATORIO, Canto I, Lines 49 - 84 (Part One)
We have come to one of the strangest moments so far in COMEDY: the moment we recognize the lone old man is in fact the Roman pagan Stoic suicide Cato. This…
- Walking With Dante
A Lone Old Man Who Disrupts COMEDY And Changes The Rules Of The Afterlife: PURGATORIO, Canto I, Lines 28 - 48
As Dante the pilgrim gazes at the gorgeous sky, he finds an old man standing next to him, a figure who will startle us (if not the pilgrim) and who will…
- Walking With Dante
Laughter And Loss, The Essence Of Being Human: PURGATORIO, Canto I, Lines 13 - 27
Dante the poet leads us in a slow turn toward Dante the pilgrim, his "fictional" alter ego, who is looking up at the heavens--that is, at Venus, at four…
- Walking With Dante
Of A Poet, His Hubris, And His Doubts: PURGATORIO, Canto I, Lines 1 - 12
These are the opening lines of PURGATORIO, in whcih we start, not with the Dante the pilgrim (as we did in INFERNO), but with Dante the poet, who puts his…
- Walking With Dante
The Shores Of Purgatory: PURGATORIO, Cantos 1 - 2
As I told you in the previous episode of this podcast, we're taking PURGATORIO in chunks, rather than small bits. Or more like, first chunks, then small bits…
- Walking With Dante
An Introduction To PURGATORIO
Support WALKING WITH DANTE to keep it sponsor-free by donating what you can via this PayPal link here.Welcome back! We've been on hiatus for a bit, after we…
- Walking With Dante
What We Missed And How You Can Further Your Own Slow-Walk Across INFERNO
We have come to the end of our slow-walk across Dante's INFERNO, the first third (or so) of his masterpiece, COMEDY. But there are admittedly things we missed…
- Walking With Dante
INFERNO: Final Thoughts Without Firm Conclusions
We've come to the end of our slow-walk through INFERNO, the first third of Dante's masterpiece, COMEDY.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, for some final thoughts on…
- Walking With Dante
Reading INFERNO, Cantos 32 - 34
We finish off INFERNO in my English translation, which you can find on my website: markscarbrough.com.But I hope you don't go there. I hope you sit back and…
- Walking With Dante
Reading INFERNO, Cantos 29 - 31
Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we fast-walk (!) through Dante's INFERNO, the first third (or so) of his masterpiece, COMEDY (or "The Divine Comedy," as some…
- Walking With Dante
Reading INFERNO, Cantos 26 - 28
We're continuing to read through my English translation of INFERNO--which you can find on my website: markscarbough.com.But I hope you don't. I hope you sit…
- Walking With Dante
Reading INFERNO, Cantos 24 - 25
We're continuing on our journey, which has become a read-through of INFERNO. Having walked the first third (or so) of Dante's COMEDY passage by passage, even…
- Walking With Dante
Reading INFERNO, Cantos 21 - 23
Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we celebrate the conclusion of our slow-walk through INFERNO, the first third of Dante's masterpiece, COMEDY, by reading straight…
- Walking With Dante
Reading INFERNO, Cantos 18 - 20
We're continuing to read INFERNO for what it truly is: a glorious plot, the story of a guy who wakes up lost and walks across the known universe.Join me, Mark…
- Walking With Dante
Reading INFERNO, Cantos 14 - 17
We've finished our slow-walk through INFERNO, passage by passage, bit by bit, allusion by allusion, across over two hundred episodes of WALKING WITH DANTE.Now…
- Walking With Dante
Reading INFERNO, Cantos 11 - 13
We have finished our slow-walk through the first canticle of Dante's masterwork, COMEDY. And we're celebrating by reading the cantos straight through in my…
- Walking With Dante
Reading INFERNO, Cantos 8 - 10
We're continuing our read-through of Dante's INFERNO, the first canticle of COMEDY, as we conclude our long study of this first third (or so) of Dante's…
- Walking With Dante
Reading INFERNO, Cantos 4 - 7
We've finished our walk across INFERNO, passage by passage, interpretive knot by interpretive knot. It's now time to see Dante's INFERNO for what it is: a…
- Walking With Dante
Reading INFERNO, Cantos 1 - 3
We're not ready to finish our walk across hell. Instead, there's one more thing to do: hear the walk for what it is. A story. A narrative through-line. An…
- Walking With Dante
Let's Walk Out To See The Stars: INFERNO, Canto XXXIV, Lines 127 - 139
Can you believe we got here? The final lines of the first canticle of Dante's masterwork, COMEDY.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we climb out of hell to see the…
- Walking With Dante
Despite All The Ribbing And Drubbing, Virgil Remains Virgil To The End: INFERNO, Canto XXXIV, Lines 94 - 126
We've come beyond Satan and are standing in a giant, empty, baronial hall, waiting to get out of hell.But not before our pilgrim, Dante, gets some answers.And…
- Walking With Dante
More About Up, Down, And Spin: INFERNO, Canto XXXIV, Lines 70 - 93
There's much more to be said about this problem of up, down, and spin after Dante the pilgim and Virgil pass the center of the earth.Join me, Mark Scarbrough…
- Walking With Dante
The Way Down Is The Way Up: INFERNO, Canto XXXIV, Lines 70 - 93
We've seen it all. Now we just have to get out. And to do that, we have to make a big turnaround on Virgil's shoulders. Right at Satan's butt.Join me, Mark…
- Walking With Dante
Noshing On The Worst Sinners In Hell: INFERNO, Canto XXXIV, Lines 46 - 69
We've come to our last moments in hell. Here, our pilgrim Dante sees the three worst sinners in human history: Judas Iscariot, Brutus, and Cassius.Wait . . …
- Walking With Dante
A Brief History Of Satan (Up Until Dante's Vision)
Dante the pilgrim has seen the final vision of INFERNO: Satan, looked in the ice sheet of Cocytus. Perhaps it's wise to step back and think about where this…
- Walking With Dante
The Three Faces Of Interpretation . . . Or Satan: INFERNO, Canto XXXIV, Lines 28 - 45
We're about to get a good look at Satan, closer and closer, until we can see the color of his faces. Yes, faces. Three of them. Some trinitarian perversion…
- Walking With Dante
An Overview Of The Seven Direct Addresses To The Reader In INFERNO
This episode is an interpolated one in the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE. We've just gone beyond the last of the seven direct addresses to the reader in INFERNO…
- Walking With Dante
Behold Satan: INFERNO, Canto XXXIV, Lines 1 - 27
We've come to the final revelation of INFERNO, to its climax: the vision of Satan himself, called "Dis" by Virgil (after his own king of the underworld in THE…
- Walking With Dante
The Zombie Apocalypse: INFERNO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 118 - 157
We've come to the last sinner who speaks in INFERNO. And his story is as wild as it gets. He claims that once someone violates the guest/host relationship…
- Walking With Dante
Virgil Returns For No Reason, Dante The Poet Slips, And More Fun On The Ice Sheet Of Cocytus: INFERNO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 91 - 117
We've slipped on down to the third ring of Cocytus--where we find a few textual problems, more New Testament references, the return of Virgil for no good…
- Walking With Dante
Of Narcissists, Purgatory, Rage, Ugolino, And Our Poet Dante: INFERNO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 1 - 90
Our final episode on Count Ugolino! Yet there's so much left to say. We're going to have to pass on from this ghastly damned soul and let him return to his…
- Walking With Dante
Count Ugolino As A Perversion And Affirmation Of The New Testament: INFERNO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 1 - 78
On first glance, Count Ugolino's speech appears to be quite secular. He even appeals to the earth, not God, to save him and his sons.In fact, Dante has woven…
- Walking With Dante
Placing Count Ugolino Inside The Scope Of Dante's Hell: INFERNO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 1 - 78
In the last episode of this podcast, we've looked at Count Ugolino's speech as a narrative arc, taking apart and looking at the ways both the poet Dante has…
- Walking With Dante
Introducing The Last Great Sinner Of Hell, Count Ugolino: INFERNO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 1 - 78
We come upon the last great sinner of hell: Count Ugolino, frozen in the ice of Cocytus, munching on the brains of Archbishop Ruggieri.Join me, Mark…
- Walking With Dante
Cannibalism And Polyphony: INFERNO, Canto XXXII, Lines 124 - 139
Dante the pilgrim and silent Virgil lead us to the most disgusting scene in all of INFERNO as one sinner munches on the skull and brains of another.This scene…
- Walking With Dante
Snitching To The Devil: INFERNO, Canto XXXII, Lines 103 - 123
Dante the pilgrim has come across an infamous traitor on the ice sheet of Cocytus in the ninth ring of hell. Here in Antenora, the second sub-ring of the…
- Walking With Dante
A Treacherous Poet On A Treacherous Ice Sheet: Inferno, Canto XXXII, Lines 70 - 102
We're nearing the center of the universe, a place where we can feel the weight of everything bearing down on us.Our pilgrim is showing the strain. Violent…
- Walking With Dante
An Overview Of The Similes (So Far) In Dante's COMEDY
We've come a long way down into INFERNO and we'already passed dozens, even hundreds of similes. (It all depends on how you count them.)This podcast episode is…